Assessment of cutaneous innervation by skin biopsies.

Skin biopsies that are immunostained to identify nerve fibers provide a new tool for assessing the small caliber nociceptors that terminate in the epidermis, as well as other cutaneous nerve fibers. Skin biopsies can be performed in multiple sites and can be repeated over time, so that a spatiotemporal profile of epidermal innervation can be constructed. This approach may help assess the progression of fiber loss in disease and of regeneration and re-innervation with treatment.